Method for the controlled connection of a calibration standard in a calibration module and an associated calibration module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10132908-B2
Application number	US-201415022950-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2014
Priority date	Dec 16, 2013
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

Abstract

A method according to the present disclosure for the controlled connection of a calibration standard in an associated calibration module to a port to be calibrated of a network analyzer connects the port to be calibrated of the network analyzer to a high-frequency port of the calibration module. It transmits a high-frequency signal generated in the network analyzer with an information signalling the calibration standard to be used to the high-frequency port of the calibration module. Within the calibration module, the information signalling the calibration standard to be used is detected from the high-frequency signal received in the calibration module, and the calibration standard to be used is connected to the high-frequency port of the calibration module by a control unit integrated in the calibration module.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for the controlled connection of a calibration standard in a calibration module to a port to be calibrated of a network analyser, the method comprising:
connecting the port to be calibrated of the network analyser to a high-frequency port of the calibration module;
transmitting a high-frequency signal generated in the network analyser with an information signalling the calibration standard to be used to the high-frequency port of the calibration module; and
detecting the information signalling the calibration standard to be used from the high-frequency signal received in the calibration module and connection of the calibration standard to be used to the high-frequency port of the calibration module by a control unit integrated in the calibration module,
wherein the high-frequency signal are transmitted from the high-frequency port to the control unit via a bias-tee.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the calibration standard to be used is acknowledged to the network analyser by the control unit in that either a reflecting or a non-reflecting calibration standard is connected sequentially to the high-frequency port by the control unit, and
the sequence of the reflecting or the non-reflecting calibration standard in each case represents an information coding the calibration standard to be used.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the sequence of reflecting or non-reflecting calibration standards connected to the high-frequency port is identified by a sequence of reflection measurements by the network analyser at the high-frequency port of the calibration module.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the acknowledgement and the two reflection measurements are each implemented with a time delay by an identical time interval from the transmission of the high-frequency signal.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the linking of the high-frequency signal with the information signaling the calibration standard to be used takes place by binary amplitude-shift keying of the high-frequency signal.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the high-frequency signal provides a frequency below a lower threshold frequency f with which the calibration is implemented.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the output signal of the bias-tee or of the detector diode or the pulse sequence generated by the power detector is used for the detection, and the detected information signaling the calibration standard to be used is transmitted to the control unit.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the high-frequency signal is transmitted from the high-frequency port to a power detector used as a non-reflecting calibration standard, which is connected to the high-frequency port at the beginning of the method.

9. The method according claim 1 , wherein the high-frequency signal is transmitted to a detector diode coupled with the high-frequency port.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
additional characteristics of the calibration standard to be used, which are deposited in a memory integrated in the control unit, are signaled by the control unit through a sequence of reflecting or non-reflecting calibration standards connected in each case to the high-frequency port, which the network analyser identifies through a corresponding sequence of reflection measurements at the high-frequency port, and
the sequence of reflecting or non-reflecting calibration standards connected in each case to the high-frequency port represents an information coding the additional characteristics.

11. A calibration module for calibrating a port of a network analyser including a high-frequency port, a plurality of calibration standards, and a control unit for the alternative connection of one of the calibration standards to the high-frequency port, the calibration module comprising:
a detector unit for detecting an information signaling the calibration standard to be used from a high-frequency signal generated by the network analyser and transmitted to the high-frequency port is connected upstream of the control unit,
wherein a bias-tee, which is provided respectively for every connection of a calibration standard to the high-frequency port, is connected upstream of the detector unit.

12. The calibration module according to claim 11 , wherein a power detector used as a non-reflecting calibration standard is connected upstream of the detector unit.

13. The calibration module according to claim 11 , wherein a detector diode, which is coupled with the high-frequency port via a coupler, is connected upstream of the detector unit.

Assignees

• Rohde & Schwarz

Inventors

• Leibfritz Martin

Classifications

• G01R27/28

  Measuring attenuation, gain, phase shift or derived characteristics of electric four pole networks, i.e. two-port networks; Measuring transient response (in line transmission systems H04B3/46) · CPC title

• G01R35/005

  Calibrating; Standards or reference devices, e.g. voltage or resistance standards, "golden" references (G01R33/0035, G01R35/002 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01R35/007 Primary

  Standards or reference devices, e.g. voltage or resistance standards, "golden references" · CPC title